Intergroup conspiracy beliefs and anti-Asian aggression during COVID-19: The role of intergroup emotions, ingroup identification and norms

• Autor(a) principal: Becherer, Femke F.
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/27369
• topic: Intergroup conspiracy beliefs; Intergroup emotions; ingroup identification; Group norms; Anti-Asian aggression; Crenças conspiratórias intergrupais; Emoções intergrupais; Identificação intergrupal; Normas de grupo; Agressão anti Asiática

Although the intergroup-character of conspiracy beliefs has been identified previously, and emotions have recently been found to explain the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and aggression, no study has investigated the role of intergroup-emotions, ingroup norms, and ingroup identification in connection to intergroup conspiracy beliefs (ICB), and verbal racial aggression (VRA) against the Chinese during COVID- 19. Therefore, we examined whether ingroup norms, depending on identification with the Portuguese, moderated the direct association between ICB and VRA. Furthermore, we investigated whether the indirect link between ICB and VRA, via intergroup-emotions was moderated by ingroup identification on Path A, and whether the indirect link was moderated by ingroup norms, depending on identification on Path B. To test these hypotheses, we assessed VRA in a bystander chat-scenario and conducted a mixed experimental/correlational study with 161 Portuguese participants (Mage = 26.2, SD = 9.3). After assessing ICB, intergroup-emotions and identification, participants were randomly assigned to conspiracy-opposing, -supporting, or unrelated ingroup norms. Finally, VRA was assessed. Results revealed that ICB was associated to VRA, but ingroup norms and identification did not moderate this relationship. Further, we found that ICB was associated to negative intergroup-emotions, however, this relationship was not moderated by identification. Moreover, we did find that negative intergroup-emotions were related to VRA and while we did find that ingroup norms and identification moderated the relationship between negative intergroup-emotions and VRA we did not find a moderated mediation. This study provides important insight into the associations between ICB and VRA and the intergroup character of ICB.